Crusty Sub Rolls
Overview
Crusty outside, chewy inside, ~8 inches long. Two-day process: mix Day 1, shape and bake Day 2. The KitchenAid does almost all the work. Best practice run for the dough hook attachment.
Yield: 6 rolls
Ingredients
- 500 grams bread flour (or AP flour in a pinch)
- 325 grams water, lukewarm (90-100°F)
- 1.5 teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons additional flour, for dusting
- 1 cup boiling water (for steam, at bake time)
Equipment Needed
- KitchenAid stand mixer with dough hook
- Kitchen scale
- Sheet pan + parchment paper
- Wire cooling rack
- Cast iron skillet (for steam)
- Sharp serrated knife or razor blade (for scoring)
- Bench scraper (recommended)
- Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
Day 1 (~20 min active)
-
Mix dry then wet: In the KitchenAid bowl, whisk together the bread flour, instant yeast, and sugar with the dough hook attachment (off, just stir by hand). Pour in the lukewarm water and olive oil. Lock the bowl in place, start mixer on Speed 2 (low). Mix 2 minutes until everything is a shaggy mess with no dry flour. Stop, scrape down the sides with a spatula.
-
Knead with the dough hook: Sprinkle the kosher salt over the dough (adding salt after initial mixing protects the yeast). Restart mixer on Speed 2-3. Knead 9 minutes. The dough should pull away from the sides of the bowl into a ball but still stick slightly to the bottom. It should feel smooth and elastic, not sticky-tacky.
-
Window pane test: Stop the mixer. Pinch off a piece of dough (size of a walnut). Try the window pane test (see notes). If it tears, knead another 2 min and retest. Once it passes, you’re done kneading.
-
Bulk ferment (1 hour): Lightly oil a large bowl. Turn the dough into the bowl, flip once so the top is oiled. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid. Leave on counter at room temp for 60 minutes — it should rise noticeably but not double yet.
-
Cold ferment overnight: Punch the dough down gently (literally press your fist into the center) to release air. Re-cover the bowl tightly. Place in the fridge for 12-24 hours. This slow cold ferment is where the flavor comes from. Don’t skip it. Now stop — you’re done for Day 1.
Day 2
-
Warm up the dough: Pull the dough out of the fridge. Let it sit on the counter, still covered, for 30 minutes to come closer to room temp.
-
Divide into 6 pieces: Lightly flour a clean counter with the dusting flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter. Use a bench scraper or sharp knife to divide it into 6 equal pieces (eyeballing is fine; if you have a scale, ~140g each). Cover loosely with a clean towel.
-
Shape the rolls: Shape each piece into an oblong roll: (1) Flatten one piece into a rough rectangle with your fingers. (2) Roll up the long edge toward you tightly into a log, pinching the seam closed as you go. (3) Roll the log under your palms on the counter to even it out into a torpedo shape, ~7-8 inches long, tapered slightly at the ends. (4) Place seam-side DOWN on a parchment-lined sheet pan, leaving 3 inches between rolls. Repeat for all 6. Dust tops with remaining flour.
-
Second proof: Cover the sheet pan loosely with a clean damp towel (not touching the dough). Let proof at room temp 75 minutes until visibly puffy and pillowy. Check with the poke test (see notes) starting at 60 min.
-
Preheat oven HOT with cast iron inside: Place a rack in the middle of the oven and another at the bottom. Put your Lodge cast iron skillet (empty, dry) on the bottom rack. Preheat oven to 475°F for at least 25 minutes — the cast iron needs to get screaming hot.
-
Score the rolls: Right before baking, use a sharp serrated knife or razor blade to score each roll: three diagonal slashes across the top, about ¼ inch deep. (See notes for technique.)
-
Bake with steam: This part moves fast — read it first. Open the oven. Slide the sheet pan with rolls onto the middle rack. Immediately pour 1 cup boiling water into the hot cast iron skillet on the bottom rack. CLOSE THE OVEN DOOR FAST. Don’t open it for the first 12 minutes — you’ll lose the steam.
-
Bake until deep golden: Bake 22 minutes total. After 12 minutes, you can open and check — rotate the pan 180° if the rolls are browning unevenly. They’re done when deep golden brown all over and an instant-read thermometer in the center reads 200-205°F. They should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.
-
Cool on wire rack: Transfer rolls to a wire rack. Let cool at least 20 minutes before slicing — cutting too soon makes the crumb gummy. They’ll keep crackling as they cool, which is the sound of perfect crust.
Notes
Window pane test (Step 3): Pinch off a small piece of dough, stretch it gently between your fingers. If you can stretch it thin enough to see light through without tearing, gluten is developed enough. If it tears, knead another 2 min and retest.
Poke test (Step 9): Lightly flour a fingertip, poke the dough about ½ inch in. Under-proofed = indent springs back fast. Over-proofed = stays indented, doesn’t spring back. Just right = indent springs back slowly, leaves a faint dimple.
Scoring (Step 11): A serrated knife or fresh razor blade. Hold the blade at about 30° to the dough, not straight down. Cut about ¼ inch deep. Quick, confident motion. Hesitation = tearing.
Troubleshooting
- Dough sticky on Day 1: Bread flour absorbs slowly. Knead another 2-3 min, it’ll come together. Resist adding flour unless it’s REALLY sticking to the bowl walls — too much flour = dense rolls.
- Didn’t rise overnight: Yeast was dead or water was too hot when mixed. Press on, shape and proof at room temp on Day 2 — they’ll still rise, just less flavor.
- Rolls didn’t get crusty: Steam didn’t happen. Did the cast iron get hot enough before adding water? Was the oven door closed fast?
- Rolls too dense: Under-proofed in Step 9. Next time, look for “puffy and pillowy”, not “looks the same size as when shaped”.
Serving “Mike’s Way”
Slice each roll lengthwise but not all the way through (hinge it). Pull out a little of the soft interior bread to make a trough. Lay in thin-sliced deli meats (ham/capicola/provolone for Italian, or steam/heat them on the griddle for hot subs). Pile fresh chopped lettuce, thin onion, tomato. Drizzle olive oil + red wine vinegar, sprinkle oregano + salt + pepper.
Storage
Best Day 2. Day 3 onward, slice in half and reheat in toaster oven 5 min at 350°F to revive the crust. Freeze whole rolls in a zip-top bag up to 1 month; thaw at room temp 1 hr + 5 min in 350°F oven.